South Korea lift gloom with smash-and-grab Games football gold

South Korea ended a turbulent period by winning men’s football gold at the Asian Games, beating hosts Japan 1-0 in the final at Toyota Stadium near Nagoya on Saturday. Eom Ji-sung scored the breakthrough in the 60th minute, firing in on the hour in front of about 30,000 fans, giving Korea its fourth consecutive title. The match winner, 24, said the team defended for long stretches and believed one chance would come. The victory offered a major reset after South Korea’s disastrous World Cup, where it was eliminated in the group stage after losing to South Africa, and after controversies that included police raids connected to Hong Myung-bo’s 2024 appointment. The gold also secured military exemptions for players.